Events/Committees

Call for PTA Volunteers!

It takes a village! The PTA at Jensen Ranch Elementary is made up of many extraordinary parents and teachers. We invite you to get involved – no matter how small or big, any way you can give back to the school and enrich our children’s experiences is a wonderful investment of time. Below is a list of our events for the school year. Many of these events are still seeking volunteers, and others would welcome a co-chair. Click on this Call for Volunteers to sign up.

Events

We are only able to have such a full calendar events with the wonderful volunteer efforts of our parents, staff, and students at Jensen Ranch. Please consider volunteering using the link above but more importantly attend as many as you can and show support for your student(s) and our community. Please speak with the coordinators if you have more questions about any of the specific events.

PTA meetings – The PTA meets 6 times a year, about every 1 -2 months. A great time to get together with other parents, learn more of the nitty-gritty of what’s happening in the school, and to have a chance to ask questions and have discussions about school activities. The last meeting involves ice cream!! Childcare is provided.

Adopt-A-Family gift drive – During the month of December, gifts are collected for Castro Valley families in need. Classes are usually assigned one to two families and will purchase gifts from their wish lists. These gifts are then wrapped and distributed. Volunteers to help wrap and deliver gifts are needed!Coordinator(s): Nancy Hill

Battle of the Books – In it’s third year, this event involves different game show like events where kids have to answer questions based on a list of books that the students are given. There are separate lists for 3rd grade and 4th/5th grade. Many students participated last year and it was wonderful to see how much they read and retained!Coordinator(s): Aida Sakalauskaite and Nina Wallkvist

Family Dance – We’ve held our annual Family Dance at Canyon Middle School for the past couple of years. This annual tradition is a great time to bring together our amazing Jensen Ranch families for a night of dancing fun!Coordinator(s): Heather Glenn

Gift Card Sales – Gift cards will be sold at select monthly coffee hours after the Flag Ceremony on Fridays. You don’t have to go out to shop for these and the school will get a kick back of the purchase amounts.Coordinator: VACANT

Halloween Parade and Party– Our annual Halloween event has included parades, games, and more! Each year we know that our kids will be in for a great treat.Coordinator:VACANT

Jaguar Wear – We love to show our school pride by wearing our fabulous t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies.Coordinator: VACANT

Jensen Art and Music (JAM) – This is a program that brings fine arts education to Jensen Ranch. Once per quarter, parents volunteer to teach our students about one artist and one musician. Students then do an art project based on the presentation. Parents who have been around for a while, likely have their child’s beautiful artwork hanging up in their houses. Coordinator: Ember Tom

JR Night at a sports event – In the past we have had Jensen Ranch at the A’s games but the cost and time to coordinate this event makes it unlikely that we will continue this event. If someone is interested in looking into other options (Cal games? Other sports teams?), we would love your input and we need a coordinator!Coordinator: VACANT

Mixed Bag sales– While this is a fundraiser, it is provided more as a service to our Jensen Ranch families. A great way to purchase some fashionable reusable bags! Great for our school and our environment and community. DUE: November 7. Visit their on-line store to place an order. See the flier here.Coordinator(s): Angie Sanders – looking for a partner!

Monthly Coffee Hour – Following the first Friday Flag of each new month, the PTA and Mr. Gacherieu hosts a coffee hour social for parents to gather and catch up.Coordinator: PTA Board members

Music for Minors – Due to budget cuts, Jensen Ranch does not provide a formal music program for students in grades K – 3. Fortunately, we have a group of dedicated parents who come and provide structured music classes for our students. To volunteer, you do need to take a course to be a docent. If you have heart for music, this is a great way to share your love with our students!Coordinator: Erin Milnes

Raffle / Auction – The details of this event are still being worked out. Each year, our Spring event involves either an auction or raffle. Last year we had a raffle during the Open House. We had baskets created by each of the classrooms and events that allowed our students to have some fun with their teachers that were raffled off. In previous years, we held adult only offsite auctions and school wide auctions held at the school. We are open to ideas and suggestions!Coordinators: VACANT

Scholastic Book Fair – This book fair is held in the library 3 times per year with the last one usually being a BOGO (buy one, get one free). A great time to get books for your family and friends, as well as for your class library from the teachers’ wish lists.Coordinators: Andrea Giannecchini & Nina Wallkvist

School Garden– This program brings gardening education to our students. Classes have a patch and work in the garden where they learn all about the wonders of growing! Some classes will eat their harvests. Others have a great pumpkin for Halloween!
Coordinator: VACANT

School Kidz – This program saves parents from having to scramble at the end of the summer to find all those school supplies! Just order with School Kidz and you can pick up those supplies at registration! Done!Coordinator: Seema Chawla

Science Night – Last year our community was wowed by a presentation by MadScience! Stay tuned to see what our team dreams up for this year! Great fun for both the kids and their parents!Coordinator(s): Janet Tien and Marina Lyubinov

Staff Appreciation Luncheon – Several times per year, parents volunteer to bring food to show our love and appreciation for our teachers by feeding them a great lunch.Coordinator(s): Amanda Carey

Talent Show – Actually not a PTA event but… it’s a great show put on by our amazing students! Auditions happen about 1 – 2 months prior to the event. It’s always so impressive to see all the diverse and fantastic talent at Jensen Ranch!

Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week – Celebrate all our teachers do for us during the National PTA Teacher Appreciation Week, held each year during the first full week in May. Various events will be planned by PTA and your classroom liaisons during the week.

Technology Committee – Our dedicated parents help keep our technology working! They also work with the school to assess our current technology and decide on future needs.Coordinator: VACANT

Thanksgiving Food Drive – JRE comes together with the entire CVUSD and partners with the Castro Valley Outreach to provide much needed food and cheer to over 150 families in need from our community. Each grade level is assigned to bring food. In addition, families are asked to donate their time during the days leading up to Thanksgiving to sort and then deliver the food that is collected. Please refer to the 2016 Thanksgiving Food Drive Flyer for more information.Coordinators: VACANT

Walkathon (Oct 20, 2017) – This annual event is a great way to bring the whole community together! Students get pledges and then walk around the field as many times as they are able (some walk over 60 laps!) to raise money for our school. They can also earn prizes after walking a certain number of laps and can buy raffle tickets for other great prizes donated by Jensen Ranch families. We also have food items available for sale. This years proceeds will be used to enhance our outdoor facilities.Coordinator: Christine Chan

Yearbook – Every year, parents work together to take photos, design pages, and put together a great way to remember your student’s year at Jensen Ranch.Coordinator: Cynthia Lim & Pia Geisler